Garment former



Nov. 2, 1954 c. E. JOURNEY GARMENT FORMER s Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 10, 1949 I u ven tor CLARENCE. E.JOURNEY C. E. JOURNEY GARMENT FORMER Nov. 2, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 10 1949 Im'mtor I CLARENCE E.JOURNEY Nov. 2, 1954 C: E. JOURNEY GARMENT FORMER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 10

Inventor CLARENCE E.JOURNEY United States Patent fliice FORMER:

Glarenoe E.-Jumey,,Elkt0n", Fla. V Applicationoctoher 10; 19.49;.SrialNo. 120,456.

6Cl'aims... ClE .223T-72)' Thepresent. invention; relates to..garment formers for. usewith: pressing machines, andi'more. particularly has. reference toaformer for shapinga sleeve and at least. a portion of the shoulder.-

It'..-is,. .of. course,..common.practice after a garmenthasv been cleaned. to expand'or. stretch. the wrinkledsleeve andLthen subject the sleeve tohot. steam to soften. the.

wrinkles. This .is;accomplished"hy placingv the sleeve over a.forn1 fwhere .itis maintained under a. slight. amount. of tension, after. which. the. sleeve. is .cooledor dried while stilll'ontheform. Numeroussleeveiformers of different:

types. are currently on. the market-,gbut these. formers are;-

not. entirely satisfactory as far as-the.- dry cleaningfijeld istconcerned. Oneobjfection. to the formersns. thexfact that. they. are rather flimsy in. structural. detailv and; as

a consequence, the stretcher members frequently. breakwithina. short period. ofiuse; Another disadvantageous. feature. is that the operating, handle. andlits associated. lockingparts are complex both. as. to. structure and' oper.-'- ation; thereby makingthe former difiicult to. manipulate with the. attendant. increase'in the.titne.cycle. for. pressing;

process.. Perhapsithe' main failing of; theformers. is. that.

they. cannot. be employed I for. all; types .ofsl'eeves. and. are. notcapable off'shaping the. shoulder...

An. important. object oflmy. invention. is. to: provide. a. sleeve. former. which.williovercomeihe.aboveand other,

objectionable features now present. inthe. field;

Another object. ofthe; invention is..to. provide a. former.

by: theuse ofyiwhich short,. three-quarter .or. fulhllength.

sleeves may. be properly shaped;

Yet a..further object is.to. provide a. sleeve. former wherein the relatively stationary member is providedlwith an. angular ofiset. which, follows. approximately the shoulder.contour,.,thereby enablingpat-Z least. a portion of the...shoulder to. be. shaped simultaneously with.the sleeve.

Afiirthen object. of the. .invention. is to. provide a. garment .former wherein. one. of av plurality of; various shoulder. lifting attachments. may be detachablyconnected;

to thestationary, member for. correctlyshapingthk: particular sleevev beihgpressed.

With the foregoing.v and:- other objects. in. view,, the. invention consists in the details ofi'constructiom.andfin. the. arrangement. and l'combination of 1' parts to. be-heroine after. more. fully :set' forth} and claiined'.

In. describing, the invention, in detail, reference. will" be had to the accompanyingdraWings forming part of" thi'spapplication; wherein like characters: denote correspondingparts' in the severalviews; and in which:

Figure 11 isjan elevational View. showing; the 'former' in operative position withone of. the lifting attachments imposition.

Figure .2 I is. a. vertical. sectional. view. of; theformer.

Figure 3*:is a bottom: view of. the former...

Figures 4-and 5. are.v-iews taken along the -lines.4-4

and 5-5 of Figure 2, looking in the direction ofthei arrows. v

Figure 6 isa-..perspective view of oneof -thezlifting attachments;

Figure 7t is.a:view--taken alongtherline. 7-7 ofz Figure. 6, looking in the direction of. the, arrows. v

Figure 8- is; a'perspective view of. anotherlifting. at-- tachment,. primarily; for use. with ladies sleeves.

Figure 9.. isa perspectiveviewof anothernshoulderlifting. attachment,.finding; particulan use. with .menfs. coat. sleeves.

Figure. 10. isLaview taken along the line. -10"10'of Figure 9} lbokihginthe direction of'the arrows.

Patented Nov. 2,1954

.Eigure 12L is. .a..front elevational..vi'ew,,.partly,. Broken away ,..of.'an;.adji1stalil. liftingzattachmentt.. I V

Figure. 12'. is. a.verticaLsectionaljview oi th'e attaeh mentfslijownt ihFigure. 1112'. v

I, Figures l3. and. 14'fare frontgelevatibnalfviews. of"themovable: andf fixed" elements,1of the, attachmentjshown' in;

Figure; -llf v p I A Figure is: an eievationatiview showinggthe former? used with'a' shortsleevefof thetype noth'aving a. shoulder-' the'line: eXten'dingffom' the neck to the. shoulder;

arcuate' g'roovror channel lfiy and -groove 1L7 on thehes-ively. secured in the greoves -16 and 17{ tilts-forming;

form an eye 20. The eye 20 is lodged in' -a -lhngitiidiiial" recess ihin tlie inner face of -the*movable element 1 1 engages the base ofileg zmso that the-rod may be hingedly securedfito the 1 element' mt L1 is=advisahle that a fabrie orsimilar 'sheath 28*. he appliedl-to therod 193 When the elements lfliand'i 1w are :infithe inoperative position; the rad -will be. nested in -thei recess fliandi the-*groove 26,= thus affording-a highly 'compaet unitfi which requiresra minimumtof space for: storage or ti ans I portation.-

Furthermore; .the rod ofiset"23 :hy virtuevofits seat iir the: groove 1 26:*willripreventdany lateral di'splhcement of the-"element 1 1 relativerto -the element liifi groove 30 extend around ithe handle ZS adja'centfieaoh end thereof. A cordeor "the; like-31 is seated iit ea'ch groove 30 to strengthen:the handle and 'prevent 'its frac ture.. In order to look =theihandle and'; as a= consequence;- the position of the elment llr with respeet to-the el'e merit 1 0, it 'will he noted that a heavy duty bail chain" 32 is-anchored atone e'ndPto the handle as indicatedZata metal loop ifim' having a narrowfslot i'ii and 'a ring SE of such *diameters. as to permit thefi chain to befi readily drawntherethroughu. 'l hei fre'e end of thetichain car ries: an enlargement 31 which will prevent the chain from: being completely with'drawn' from the ring 36;

to 'considerahle straing the lhop is anchored ih a wooden block 38 which is inserted in a recess in the end of thei ofisett13 andvthesgrairizof theabloclt' 3.8 is'atsrightiangles to that oh the; offsetrzto reduce; to: as minimum any; *dangen ofibreakagez. Manifestly; by pulling.::theechaintthnought the; ring .36: and thereafter.moving 'thei-chain into the:

narrow portion' 35,..the handle willnbe locked-in thate particular. position. The lock ing canbe .very 1 easily and) quickly accomplished; andwthe unitmay'bemnlockedsby again moving. the chain into. therihg 3T6..

"of the necessary resi'liencv; and bne end o-f 'the"rod is lient to The free end of the element is recessed as shown at 40 and one end of a spring 41 is anchored therein, as shown at 42. The opposite end of the spring is attached to a pin or the like 43 which is seated in a longitudinal groove 44 adjacent the nose end of the element 11, and the spring 41 tends to draw the noses of the elements 10 and 11 together. opposite or tail end of the element 11 is urged away from the element 10, and this arrangement is particularly efficacious, in that it will enable the former to be employed with both short and three-quarter length sleeves, which heretofore has not been possible with.

the formers currently on the market.

The element 10 adjacent its point of junction with the offset 13 is formed with a transversely extending depression or indentation 45 which is located substantially Consequently, the

at the seam line of the sleeve and this indentation will enable a padded shoulder to fit therein so that full tension may be exerted inside the sleeve up to the seam where the sleeve joins the shoulder without bulging the shoulder, as indicated in Figure 2 by the broken line.

In using the former with a mans coatsleeve, the chain is supported in the unlocked position which, of course, will enable the elements 10 and 11 to be in their nested position and the nose of the former is then inserted into the sleeve and the seam is lodged in the indentation 45. The handle is then moved toward the offset 13 which, of course, will swing the element 11 away from the element 10, thus expanding or stretching the sleeve. parts in the adjusted position. The sleeve may then be drawn forwardly along the former and thus smoothing the wrinkles in the sleeve, and by virtue of the spring 41, tension will be imparted at the arm pit by the tail end of the element 11. Inasmuch as the offset 13 follows the shoulder line, the shoulder of the coat, or at least a portion thereof, will be stretched, which heretofore could not be achieved with the conventional formers.

As previously indicated, it has been difficult, if not impossible, to use formers with short or three-quarter length sleeves. However, with the present invention this is overcome and, as shown in Figure 15, a short sleeve may be perfectly stretched by virtue of the spring 41 which will keep the under portion of the sleeve under tension that will effectively remove the wrinkles.

As previously mentioned, an important feature of the invention is to provide means whereby shoulder lifting attachments may be connected to the former, and to accomplish this end, it will be noted inFigures 2 and 4 that the offset 13 is provided with a .plurality of spaced through-extending apertures 47, each oflwhich is lined with a metal sleeve or the like 48. While I have shown the use of three such apertures, it is, of course, obvious that a more or less number may be employed, but experience has shown that with the majority of sleeves, three apertures are sufficient. A shoulder lifting attachment is adapted to be employed with the apertures,

and in Figures 6, 8, 9 and 11 there are shown four types of attachments which should take care of any type of problem encountered. In Figure 7 there is shown a supporting strap 50 of metal or the like having a pin 51 adjacent one end thereof, the pin 51 being. adapted to be inserted in the desired aperture 47. An eggshaped or oval body 52 is formed with a recess 53, in which is anchored a helical spring 54. The spring 54 is welded or otherwise secured to the free end of the strap 50 and consequently, the body 52 may have a free swiveling movement on the strap. This particular type of attachment may be employed for small sleeves such as childrens sleeves. The form illustrated in Figure 8 is primarily employed for womens sleeves, and body 60 is of arcuate configuration and the upper free edge is curved from front to rear, as shown at 61. The body 60 is, of course, pivotally carried by stlii'ap 62 such as by means of a machine screw or the lie.

The unit shown in Figures 9 and 10 includes a body 70, generally similar in outline to that of Figure 8, although the upper edge is approximately pointed, as shown at 71, and this body is employed for lifting mens sleeves at the seam line. Herein again the body 70 is rotatably attached to the supporting strap 72, as indicated at 73.

The attachment shown in Figure 12 is of an adjustable nature to take care of extremely high shoulders. The

The chain 32 is then locked to hold the a Lia unit comprises a triangular base which is swiveled to a supporting strap 81 by means of a machine screw 82. An operating handle 83 is anchored to the base 80, as indicated generally at 84, and the handle 33 is of slightly greater length than strap 81 in order that the operators hands will be distantly removed from the press to enable the base to be turned about the screw 82. The angular face of the base 80 is formed with a plurality of spaced alined apertures 35, and a pair of elongated slots 36 are located on opposite sides of the apertures 85. A complemental block 87 is adapted to rest on the angular face of the base 89, and a pin 88 extends from the lower face of the block. Manifestly, by locating the pin 88 in the desired aperture 85, the position of the block relative to the base may be readily adjusted. To prevent swiveling movement of the block 87, the block also supports a pair of pins 89 which are so disposed as to enter the elongated slots 86, as clearly indicated in Figures 13 and 14. For an unusually high sleeve, the pin 88 would be inserted in the uppermost aperture 85, while for a normal height sleeve the pin would be lodged in the lowermost aperture.

To illustrate the use of the lifting attachments, attention is called to Figure 1 wherein after the sleeve has been stretched by moving the element 11 away from the element 10 and the parts locked in that position, the pin of the attachment strap (attachment shown in Figure 9) is disposed in the proper aperture 47 and the strap swung inwardly until the body 70 follows the seam line of the sleeve, whereby the edge 71 will engage the seam and elevate the upper end of the sleeve above the former, as clearly indicated in Figure 1. By pulling the sleeve toward the nose end, the wrinkles will be removed and a smooth even line will extend from the seam to the cuff. To remove the attachment, it is merely swung toward the handle 25 and the pin withdrawn from the recess or aperture 47. To use the attachment for the opposite sleeve, the former is merely reversed and the same cycle of steps repeated. This is particularly important, in that the arrangement may be readily employed for both the right and left sleeves. It is thought that the above description should suffice to illustrate the mode of operation of the lifting attachments, although in Figure 16 l have shown the attachment used with a ladys short sleeve v having a puffed shoulder, in which situation the body such as that shown in Figure 8 would be employed. The spring 41 will keep the sleeve fully extended at the arm pit and the body 60 will lift the shoulder so that a smooth line is presented for at least a portion of the shoulder portion of the garment, the puff and the sleeve body. v

I claim:

1. In a former for garments having a shoulder portion and a sleeve secured to the shoulder portion, a substantially immovable member, a movable member, said immovable and movable members being disposed in side by side relationship, means pivotally connecting said immovable and movable members whereby the movable member can be moved toward and away from the immovable member, resilient means interconnecting said members adjacent one end of said members, an offset extending at an obtuse angle from one end of said immovable member, the angle of the offset being approximately that of the shoulder line, a handle carried by the pivotal connection between the immovable and movable members in proximity to the offset, whereby movement of the handle toward the offset moves said movable member away from the immovable member, and complemental means carried by the handle and the offset to lock the members in their adjusted position.

2. A sleeve former as claimed in claim 1 wherein said offset is provided with a recess at the juncture of the offset with the immovable members, the offset being adapted to receive the seam between the sleeve and the shoulder portion.

3. In a former for garments having a shoulder portion and a sleeve secured to the shoulder portion, a pair of rigid complemental members positioned in side by side relationship, one of said members being provided with an angular offset at one end thereof, said offset extending at an obtuse angle to said member and substantially following the line of the shoulder portion, means pivotally interconnecting the members for movement toward and away from each other, a shoulder lifting body, complemental means on the shoulder lifting body and offset defining a pivotal connection between the shoulder lifting body whereby said offset may be moved to a position below the seam between the sleeve and the shoulder portion to elevate the sleeve at the seam.

4. A shoulder lifting attachment for use with a former for garments having a shoulder portion and a sleeve secured to the shoulder portion comprising a support element, a connection between the support element and a the former, a base swiveled to the support element and having an inclined wall, a lift member adapted to be disposed on said inclined wall, and complemental means on the inclined wall of said base and on said lift member to secure said member at different positions on the inclined wall of the base.

5. In a former for garments having a shoulder portion and a sleeve secured to the shoulder portion, a substantially immovable member, a movable member, said immovable and movable members being disposed in side by side relationship, means pivotally interconnecting the said immovable and movable members whereby the movable member can be moved toward and away from the immovable member, an offset extending at an obtuse angle from one end of said immovable member, the angle of the offset being approximately that of the line of the shoulder, a handle carried by the pivotal interconnection between the immovable and movable members so that movement of the handle toward the offset moves the movable member away from the immovable member.

6. In a former for garments having a shoulder portion and a sleeve secured to the shoulder portion, a pair of rigid complemental members disposed in side by side relationship, a pivotal connection between said members whereby said members may have movement toward and away from each other, an olfset on one of said members arranged at an obtuse angle to said member, and the angular offset substantially following the line of the shoulder portion, the angular offset being formed with an indentation at its juncture with said member to permit the seam between the sleeve and the shoulder portion to fit therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

